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ALDS Game 1 postgame interview: Gardenhire

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Q. Liriano dominated for five innings, what changed in the sixth? RON GARDENHIRE: I think he was locating the ball really well. In the sixth he got pitches up and they didn't miss it. I think he still had everything going. His ball was breaking, I think he got a big out on Marcus Thames, and Granderson came up and I think it was a fastball up. And Granderson, I mean he hit a ball we thought was a routine fly ball and it carried pretty good tonight, and that pretty much ended his night.

Minnesota Twins

But he was going along pretty good he had great stuff tonight. The ball was darting and diving and the breaking ball was good. He just ran into a tough inning and couldn't get a third out. He had two or three hitters to get the third out and couldn't finish it off.

Q. Along those lines, you had Mijares ready to go it looked like and you got him in, you know, for the Gardner at bat. Would you consider bringing him in for Granderson or how is that as you try to get Liriano through the inning? What was going on? RON GARDENHIRE: I think Liriano deserved a chance to get Granderson out. He hits like .180 off of him. You take your starter out in a situation like that, it is not the right thing to do. We were trying to get through it and I had all the confidence in the world he could get Granderson out. It is his ballgame. Pitching well, you give up two runs and end of the sixth inning he gave up four, but that's his ballgame. It is our ace. I don't want to jerk him out. Let him have a shot, that is what he is supposed to be here for.

Q. Do you have to guard against the sense in your clubhouse, here again the Yankees come out and beat you again? RON GARDENHIRE: No. There is disappointment. We had a lot of big opportunities and big at bats, and we couldn't come up with another big hit. We rallied off Sabathia once we got down. Took a lot of pitches, and ended up tying the ballgame up with a bases loaded walk. We just couldn't come up with another one when it happened a few more times as the game went along, and that's what the game is about. They got a couple of big hits and we missed our opportunities as the game went along to get that one more big hit to get back into it.
So I think our guys are fine. Disappointed right now. We had, you know, a ballgame and it got away from us. And we got back in it and the big home run off of Jesse throwing the hanging slider that the guy pounded.

Q. Cuddyer's home run seemed like that's the kind of stuff you need, right? RON GARDENHIRE: You have to have some more of those, more big hits. But I think Hudson's baserunning, going first to third, on that play was huge. The guys were into it. Like I said, with Frankie out there cruising like he was, it looked pretty good. But he just ran into a bad inning and couldn't finish off the inning. There you have it.